January, 2008 – David Hughes

15 January 2008

MacWorld 2008 Speculation – I’m Pretty Pleased

I followed Steve Jobs’ Keynote from MacWorld today on my iPhone via MacRumors excellent page and have just watched the Keynote video from the Apple site and whilst it wasn’t an iPhone year but it was still a good year.

However, before we get into what was announced I just have to ask – can you name any other corporation that you would watch a keynote from it’s CEO? Amazing… and I have to say Steve Jobs is the best corporate public speaker I’ve ever seen. The demand for the keynote coverage was so high in fact that Twitter disappeared before it even started and TUAW took out an AOL data centre.

Anyway, to MacWorld 2008 – my guess was “home media networking”.

and we got that in full effect with the new Apple TV. The original Apple TV didn’t appeal to me much but this new “Take 2” looks a much more complete and well thought out product.

Apple’s next target is most definitely your living room.

What other goodies did Steve reveal?

The Time Capsule – a wireless NAS backup hard drive and wifi router. Great idea; I’m in the market for a new backup drive so this looks very interesting.
iPhone 1.1.3 software update. I’ve updated mine and in addition to all the new features it feels a little quicker to. I like that they call this the January update implying that there are more to come in future months.
iPod Touch update – 5 new apps for $20. Not sure how I feel about the charge but it is a very significant update.
Apple TV “Take 2” – looks like a nice product. Marks Apple’s new direction in addition to more traditional Apple products; who’d of thought we’d call the iPod traditional a few years ago?
MacBook Air – yes the rumours were true but they didn’t guess just how thin and downright slinky the new MacBook Air is. It is stunning. I’m planning on getting a new MacBook this year and that will most definitely be it, but not the SSD version… HOW MUCH?

And that was MacWorld 2008, no “one last thing” but plenty of “booms” and an accurate prediction for yours truly.

Now to bed perchance to dream…of the MacBook Air…

15 January 2008

MacBook Air – the Cable Free MacBook?

So today is the day of Steve Jobs’ Keynote at MacWorld and the rumour mills, which I guess includes me now, are churning with more MacBook Air supposition.

The flavour of today’s rumours propose that the MacBook Air is the much talked about lightweight or sub-MacBook and that it is cable free – hence “Air” as in AirPort as in WiFi as in wireless.

Wired magazine has a mockup and “details” and I gotta say as somebody in the market for a new Mac or two this year, and somebody with a well known aversion if not loathing of cables I really hope MacBook Air is more than hot air… sorry.

14 January 2008

MacBook Air?

Mike’s comment on yesterday’s post MacWorld 2008, Gentlemen Start Your Speculation may have inadvertently hit the nail on the head.

Perhaps Steve will announce the new MacBook Air tomorrow, with the focus being on lightweight and wireless connectivity.

Who knows? Well obviously Steve does and he’s not telling.

Or maybe somebody else does as suggested by this post over at Engadget where a device called MacBookAir has turned up in a log file. Is it real? Is it a silly pre MacWorld hoax? Only time will tell. The next 24 hours in fact.

Although I still think we will see new wireless consumer media devices if not tomorrow then later this year…